Web pages often contain lists of many hyperlinks (also known as anchors). Some of these web pages contain transient data such as news items that are typically viewed only once via that page and then not again. Examples of such web pages include search engines, news clipping services, and notification agents such as the AT&T Internet Difference Engine (AIDE).
When a user selects, or clicks, a hyperlink on a web page, the hyperlink may be marked as having been visited. When the user returns to the page from which the hyperlink was originally selected, the previously visited hyperlink is typically displayed in a different color from hyperlinks that were not previously visited. This distinguishes visited hyperlinks from non-visited hyperlinks. However, changing color is often insufficient in relation to a user's needs, if it is possible at all.
First, a web page may become cluttered when a large number of hyperlinks are placed on the page, thus reducing user efficiency. Simply changing the color of a hyperlink does not reduce clutter on the page. Second, it may be difficult or impossible to discern color differences, especially on web pages with non-standard color backgrounds. Therefore, a user may not be able to differentiate clearly between visited and non-visited hyperlinks. Third, links are not necessarily textual, nor is any text associated with a link necessarily limited to the actual hyperlink. That is, there may be multiple page fragments associated with each hyperlink, consisting of text and/or graphics. Changing the color only changes any hyperlink text, not the associated graphics or non-hyperlink text. Finally, on hand-held devices, such as PDAs, screen real estate is at a premium, and color capability if provided is often limited. Because of the size, resolution, and color limitations of most PDAs, not as many links may be viewed on the screen as on a conventional (larger and higher resolution) desktop or laptop computer display. Simply re-coloring links does not provide additional space for new links to be displayed. Because many PDAs do not provide color displays, PDAs often display color as shades of gray. Therefore, it is often difficult or even impossible to detect color differences between shades of gray.
Thus, it would be an advancement in the art, rather than simply relying on changes in text color or other similar techniques, to be able to remove hyperlinks, as well as the text and other content associated with it after a user selects the hyperlink. This can improve user efficiency by focusing on what is actually new and/or different for that user.
It would also be an advancement in the art to provide disappearing hyperlinks on a selective basis. That is, the choice of which hyperlinks should be treated as disappearing may be decided by the web page author.